“Rock for the Nurses-Rock for the Shore” Fundraiser One Month Away

On Sunday April 21, nine of the Jersey Shore’s top musicians come together at Jenks Club in Point Pleasant Beach for a very special afternoon to help the Monmouth and Ocean victims of hurricane Sandy and the nurses of Ocean Medical Center, showcasing their talents at “Rock for the Nurses – Rock for the Shore”.

The “Rock for the Nurses-Rock for the Shore” benefit was announced in January by The Barbara Forfar Nursing Scholarship Fund which will team-up with the United Way of both Monmouth and Ocean Counties and Jenkinson’s of Point Pleasant Beach for a very special afternoon to help the Jersey Shore victims of hurricane Sandy and the nurses of Ocean Medical Center at its second annual nursing scholarship fundraiser.

The event will take place on Sunday, April 21 starting at 11am at Jenks CLub at Jenkinson’s Boardwalk located at 300 Ocean Avenue in Point Pleasant Beach.

Slated to perform are some of the top musicians from around the Jersey Shore including Timepiece, The Pat Roddy Band, The Matt Noffsinger Band, The Joe Baracata Band, Lisa & Wendy, Craig Daniels, Guns 4 Hire Trio, Ned Ryerson Live and The Shore Ratz.

“Not since the mid-1970s at some of the super nightclubs of the time like Art Stock’s Royal Manor (Wall) and Hoffman’s Beach House (Point Pleasant Beach), has the Jersey Shore seen this number of top local groups come together at one location on the same day. All nine of our musical performers are very well known around the Jersey Shore and each has their own unique sound, musical repertoire and large fan base. We are extremely thankful to all of them for contributing. There is no doubt in my mind with all of that musical talent together at one location, we will be rockin’ the roof off that day at Jenks for a tremendous cause”mentioned Walt Konopka, chairperson of the Barbara Forfar Nursing Scholarship Fund.

“We had to change our original venue earlier this month and Jenkinson’s stepped up to the plate and welcomed us with open arms and assured us they will do everything they can to help us promote awareness and attract attendance to our April 21 fundraiser. They are very excited to help. Jenkinson’s is one of the premiere venues in New Jersey and has a great location that can accommodate all ages and families with a fantastic view of the beach and ocean. We are extremely excited about this change and we cannot thank Jenkinson’s enough for helping us” Konopka continued.

Timepiece has been rocking the Jersey Shore for over 20 years. Founded in 1990 by Terry Wildeman (lead guitar and vocals) who grew up in the shadows of Asbury Park and now lives in the Wall Township area and Fred DeFeo of Island Heights (drums and vocals), the band also includes John Oesner (vocals, harp and percussion), John Van Decker (bass and vocals) and Mike Scialfa (keyboards). Scialfa, who is the brother-in-law to New Jersey music legend Bruce Springsteen, along with Wildeman and DeFeo, have been around the Jersey Shore music scene individually for over four decades.

Belmar’s favorite son Pat Roddy and The Pat Roddy Band, have been a mainstay at the Jersey Shore since 1997. In addition to Roddy, a St. Rose High School alumni who sings, plays guitar, harmonica and piano, the band is comprised of Brian Franca of Old Bridge (saxophone), Chris Giunco of Manasquan (keyboards), Justin Hetrick of Asbury Park (drums), Bob Giunco of Manasquan (percussion), “Mister W” of Farmingdale (bass) and Sean Watson of Spring Lake (guitar).

The Matt Noffsinger Band is a classic & modern rock band that has quickly gained popularity along the Jersey Shore and tri-state area. Started by Wall Township native Matt Noffsinger who currently resides in Bayville (lead guitar and vocals), the band has been performing up and down the Jersey Shore for over 10 years. Joined by some of the best musicians and performers in the area, the Matt Noffsinger Band plays an extremely diverse and unique style of classic and modern rock and gets crowds of any age up on their feet.

Singer-songwriter and Howell Township resident Joe Baracata (lead guitar and vocals) and The Joe Baracata Band have spent the last 10 years building their reputation as one of New Jersey’s best cover bands. Known for their strong vocals, great fun-time song selection and top notch musicianship, they are quickly becoming one of the most sought-after wedding and corporate bands in the tri-state area.

Lisa Barone (Matawan) and Wendy Horn (Eatontown) have been entertaining audiences in New Jersey and the surrounding areas as “Lisa & Wendy” for over 9 years to rave reviews. Their impressive list of clients includes The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Rumson Country Club, Seacrets Resort, Trump Marina and The House of Blues. With song selections that range from Patsy Cline to Led Zeppelin, they make a song their own and have become known for their amazing harmonies.

Middletown native Craig Daniel has been performing in the New Jersey area for the past 10 years. He began the musical journey as a child learning the basics on the saxophone, and then branched into his primary instrument of guitar, while also studying secondary instruments such as piano, bass, and percussion. Daniel has performed in venues ranging from small bars and lounges to opening concerts for national recording artists in New Jersey’s largest clubs.

The Guns 4 Hire Trio members include Gene Potts of Red Bank (vocals) John Bauso of Matawan (guitar and vocals) and Sal Marra of Little Silver (guitar and vocals). Spanning the decades from the 60’s to today, the super tight G4H trio features 2 guitars and three vocals and a sense of humor. Great harmonies and song selection are trademarks of this unique acoustic threesome.

Toms River’s Ned Ryerson is a lively and dynamic musician who has been performing live acoustic music on the Jersey Shore for the past 6 years. Throughout this time, he has developed a style to his shows that is unique and well accepted by his audiences. Ryerson, who started his musical career playing percussion, has a song list of 250 popular cover tunes and has performed at numerous venues throughout Monmouth and Ocean County.

Scott Rosen of Freehold (drums), Rich Meyer of Neptune (bass), Jules “The Claw” Levitt of Manalapan (guitar-vocals) and Shannon Bray of Edison (vocals- percussion) make up the classic rock group The Shore Ratz. The Ratz are a classic and party rock band covering a great variety of tunes from the 70’s right up to today’s current hits. Their influences include Jackson Browne, Melissa Etheridge, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Who and New Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen.

“Rock for the Nurses-Rock for the Shore” will feature live music for more than eight hours throughout the entire afternoon, an all you can eat hot & cold buffet, cash bar, coffee and desert and will also include various raffles, give-a-ways and other special activities during the fundraiser.

All proceeds from the event will be divided among the Barbara Forfar Nursing Scholarship Fund which annually benefits the nurses of Ocean Medical Center by providing nursing scholarships to nurses and nursing students looking to further their formal education in the nursing profession and the United Way of both Monmouth and Ocean County to be earmarked to specifically help the local victims of Hurricane Sandy here at the Jersey Shore.

Tickets are $30 per person (kids under 12 are free) and are available for advance purchase at Jenks Club (Point Pleasant Beach), Bow-Kay Florist (Brick) and at the Ocean Medical Center (Brick). Tickets will also be available for purchase the day of the event at the door.

“We will have one of the largest contingents of local Jersey Shore musicians in recent history, all performing at the same venue, all on the same day and all for the same special cause. It will truly be an unprecedented afternoon. We believe that this will be one of the biggest events around the Jersey Shore in April, our own local 12.12.12 concert, and anyone who attends, besides having a fantastic time, will feel good about knowing that they are doing something very special to help our local Monmouth and Ocean County communities”Konopka added.

The Barbara Forfar Nursing Scholarship Fund was established on January 15, 2011 and is part of the Ocean Medical Center Foundation family of funds.

The scholarship was established to honor the memory of long-time Point Pleasant resident Barbara Forfar or “Foof” as she was called by her fellow nurses and other colleagues in the operating room, and her forty-four years of dedication to the nursing profession with all but three years of her service associated with the Ocean Medical Center or its predecessor hospitals.

The scholarship fund provides monetary assistance to qualified nurses and nursing students of Ocean Medical Center who desire to continue their formal education in nursing profession in the form of scholarships and awards one (or more) nursing scholarship during September of each year to eligible applicants.

During its short history, The Barbara Forfar Nursing Scholarship has awarded $4,500 to nine nurses and nursing students of Ocean Medical Center.

For more information about Barbara Forfar Nursing Scholarship Fund, including all the details about the April 21 “Rock for the Nurses – Rock for the Shore” event, log on to the official website at www.forfarscholarship.org or connect with the Barbara Forfar Nursing Scholarship Fund on Facebook.